"Maybe you don't have an AI companion for sex. But chances are you already have an AI companion. Given a name to your go-to AI source or voice-based conversational agent? That's all it takes. AI intimacy companions have become incredibly sophisticated. In 2019, 8% of US adults had exchanged sexts with chatbots or AI (13% men and 4% women, 11% gender non-conforming), especially younger individuals, those with more money, men, and those with a sexual minority orientation."
"In the recent past, AI social chatbots would not permit sexual messages, but that has mostly changed. One of the most popular AI chatbots is now promoted as providing companionship and support to counter loneliness and mental health struggles. But now, these companions can also legitimately perform romantic and sexual interactions. Users create an avatar to suit their preferences and interests, and that avatar becomes visible on their screen."
"We know that users tend to be lonelier on average compared to non-users, suggesting that lonely people are drawn to having an AI companion, perhaps finding human companions lacking or perhaps lacking human companions. However, there is also some research emerging that higher levels of AI companion use might be leading to increased loneliness, and this worries us because it might be amplifying a person's isolation or reducing their efforts even more to connect with other people."
AI companions now provide sexual, romantic, and emotional interactions through chatbots and avatar-based interfaces. Use of AI for sexting and erotic roleplay was already present in 2019, with higher rates among younger people, wealthier individuals, men, and sexual minorities. Historically, many chatbots blocked sexual content, but policies and offerings have shifted to allow intimate interactions alongside companionship and mental-health support. Users of AI companions tend to be lonelier on average, and emerging research suggests heavy use may exacerbate loneliness by reducing efforts to pursue real-life social connections. Real-life companionship still offers irreplaceable well-being benefits.
Read at Psychology Today
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